New Jamba Juice is a healthy hit with students

By Ryan, October 1, 2015

By Liz Reichart, A&E Editor 

One of the most highly contentious topics when it comes to the High Point University’s student body wants and needs is eating options on campus. And rightly so – fewer and fewer students are making the decision to bring cars, limiting their hunts to on campus venues and the options their meal plans offer.
A new addition to the starting lineup this fall is Jamba Juice, located on the bottom floor of the Wanek Center. The new option, which claims to be both “delicious and nutritious,” has opened to questions from the ravenous student population. Being an avid lover of cold-pressed juice, I went to investigate the opening myself.
Students with HPU meal plans are presented with three magic meal choices upon arrival: a small freshly squeezed juice and a bakery item, a small smoothie and a bakery item, or a large smoothie. Options like oatmeal, energy bowls, and medium to large sized juices can only be bought using dining dollars or using the student general account.
In the observation of two randomly selected lunchtime rush hours, almost 80 percent of Jamba Juice customers were female – this certainly tells you a bit about who is forming the opinions on Jamba Juice. It’s primarily females that are spending on Jamba Juice. When I went to interview Jamba Juice frequenters, the views on the new addition to the dining plan were varied.
“This is the best thing HPU has ever done. Now they have a place that’s quick and relatively healthy to grab something to go that tastes like heaven,” said senior Jessica Hoey.
It’s undeniable that Jamba Juice puts the health benefits right there in front of you when you order: there are brochures and endless ordering boards that list calories and nutrition benefits. The storefront is splashed with phrases like “all real fruit” and “boost your nutrition.”
“At first I was against Jamba because I thought that like other places that make smoothies out of a little counter, it would be very processed and full of sugar,” said sophomore Robin Bryfogle. “However, now that I know it’s all real fruit, I’m into it and I think it’s great.”
Clearly in its first week of operation, Jamba Juice employees were still getting the hang of things in the kitchen. “The smoothies are definitely worth the wait but if you’re in a hurry, you can’t go unless you have 10 to 15 minutes to spare,” said junior Abbey Phalen.
The greatest injustice when it comes to opening the Jamba Juice in Wanek was the set up of the magic meal options, and this grievance was echoed resoundingly among the student population. With so many healthy food options, like energy bowls (a blend of whole fruit, Greek yogurt or soy milk, and an assortment of dry toppings and fresh fruits) and cups of steel-cut oatmeal, it seems as though they are impossible to obtain without spending outside money or endless dining dollars. “The bowls should be a magic meal, not $7. I need those dining dollars for Dominos Pizza!” said senior Jen Owens. According to HPU Dine, a magic meal is theoretically worth $10 worth of food from any HPU dining location. At a Student Government Association meeting that took place on Sept. 3, 2015, Student Services and Diversity Chair Mayeesa Mitchell announced that energy bowls would shortly be implemented as Magic Meals on the HPU student-dining plan. Nothing, however, was changed in terms of policies concerning oatmeal or medium and large sized cold-pressed juices.
I challenge the HPU Dine team: don’t disincentivize one of the only healthy options on campus. Let your students eat healthier and they’ll be happier.